1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a trailer hook-up guide system particularly adapted for use in assisting the driver of a towing vehicle to align and hook-up a trailer hitching ball, or other device, conventionally carried by the towing vehicle with a trailer hitch socket, or other mating device, conventionally carried on the tongue of the vehicle to be towed. The towing vehicle is backed up so as to place the hitching ball or device beneath the hitch socket of the trailer, and the tongue of the hitch is lowered placing the socket on the hitching ball or device and hooking the vehicles together.
2. Prior Art
Several towing devices have appeared on the market where a unit is attached to the towing behicle and another unit is attached to the hitch or tongue of the towed vehicle. Included in the prior art are several devices for effecting alignment of the hitching ball of the towing vehicle with the hitch socket of the trailer.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,765,703 discloses a complicated coupling system adapted for towing a camper whereby backing up of the towing vehicle causes a guide member on the hitch to engage the tongue and move the tongue in the transverse path until the socket is above the hitch ball. A material element of the system is the dolly wheel attached to the camper which wheel moves in a transverse path to facilitate the transverse shifting of the tongue in the alignment operation. My unique trailer hook-up guide system requires only a simple sighting system which may be attached to the conventional jack stand, if present, or otherwise attached to the trailer tongue and is applicable to all types of trailers.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,818,599 discloses a visual guide means for ball and socket alignment for automotive trailer coupling comprising a sighting device consisting of two similar components which are attached to the hitch arm of the trailer and the ball-carrying hitch arm of the towing vehicle result in sighting elements which are disposed at the same level of the ground and establish a plumb line which passes through the centers of the socket and ball of the coupling between the trailer and the towing vehicle so that when a driver maneuvers the automobile in such a manner that the sighting elements contact each other, the socket and ball are in vertical alignment for coupling purposes. The two sighting elements can simulate respectively the rear and front barrel sighting elements of a gun, pistol or similar firearm. In this manner, the sighting rod element is disposed in front of the V-shaped sighting element during automobile maneuvering operations since it is less likely to obstruct a full view of the latter sighting element than if the two elements were positionally reversed. My unique simple attachments have an improved sighting arrangement by attaching the fork-shaped sighting element to the towing vehicle so that it is in front of the sighting pole element attached to the towed vehicle and functions as an accurate gun-sighting operation eliminating the difficulties involved with the reverse arrangement of the patentee and indicates accurate alignment when the hitching element bumps the tail of the sighting pole.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,313,264 discloses an apparatus for aligning and coupling a pickup truck and a two-wheel trailer which vehicle has the standard arm-ball and arm-cup trailer hitch arrangement. Said apparatus comprises an indicator unit on each vehicle, each unit being formed by a housing containing at least two segments, including a base tubular segment that is hingeably positioned in said housing, and a tip segment; and means for mounting the housing with their longitudinal axes spaced equally from the same side of the longitudinal axis of the vehicles on which they are mounted. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,054,302 discloses a trailer hitch guide means for aligning a trailer hitch ball with a trailer hitch socket on the tongue of the trailer. The guide comprises a pair of highly visible and electrically lightable guide members, one of the guide members being adapted to be temporarily attached to the trailer tongue while the other guide member is adapted to be temporarily attached to the rear of the hauling vehicle. I have made an unexpected improvement over both of these systems by inventing a simple fork-like element and pole assembly applicable for aligning and coupling all types of trailers and which signals to the driver accurate alignment of the two vehicles upon contact of the hitching element of the towing vehicle with the tail of the sighting pole attached to the tongue of the towed vehicle.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,015,162; 3,866,328, and 4,285,138, disclose other alignment and coupling devices for towing vehicles and trailers. None of these devices suggests my simplified trailer hook-up guide system specifically disclosed herein.